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The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations has appointed a new director general, Eduardo Pisani, to take office 1 January 2010.

Pisani is currently vice president for international policy and government affairs at US pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he has worked since October 2001, focussing on European policy related to infectious disease and mental health, according to an IFPMA press release. He also established a cross-sector industry advocacy group for healthcare, with the backing of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union, which represents US businesses who trade in Europe.

He has previously acted as corporate counsel for Baxter and Immuno AG, both pharmaceutical companies, and also in a public affairs and marketing capacities at other pharmaceutical companies. He is an Italian national, and has a law degree from the University of Catania, and in 2009 also earned a certificate from the Vlerick Leuven-Gent Management School (Belgium) international management programme.

Pisani replaces interim Director General Michael Boyd, from Schering-Plough Corporation, who has been acting the position since 30 April when Alicia Greenidge stepped down after less than one year on the job (IPW, Lobbying, 1 May 2009).

Geneva-based IFPMA is a non-governmental agency representing the research-based pharmaceutical, biotechnology and vaccine industries. It has 25 member companies and 52 member associations (representing 52 countries) and was started in 1968. Harvey Bale, the director general prior to Greenidge, led the organisation for 11 years before retiring in 2008.

Also in a new position at IFPMA is Haruo Naito, CEO of Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, who will serve as president until the next IFPMA assembly in autumn 2010, according to IFPMA. He replaces Fred Hassan of Schering-Plough, who had been in the position since 2006 and stepped down following Schering-Plough’s merger with Merck. Naito previously was one of two vice presidents of IFPMA, a position that will now be filled by Lamberto Andreotti also of Bristol-Myers Squibb. The position of president is separate from director general of the IFPMA secretariat.

New Joint Position on Clinical Trials

Separately, IFPMA today also announced that it has accepted an updated a joint position on the disclosure of clinical trial information that will require all its members to make publicly available all data from clinical trials on medicinal safety. The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), the Japanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (JPMA) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) have also approved this position, according to IFPMA’s press release.